


life makes love look hard

by theriveroflight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar (TV) Fusion, Book 3: Fire, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26662090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: Marinette struggles to come to terms with what she's done, and makes a decision.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Kudos: 23
Collections: LBSCSprintFicChallenge





	life makes love look hard

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the LBSC Sprint Fic Challenge.
> 
> Prompt: Wildcard, from mlweeklyprompts -- "Topic: There’s nothing more frightening than having a dream come true"
> 
> Basically, Lukanette are transposed into Maiko's roles from Avatar: the Last Airbender (which you should watch, and this contains spoilers for book 3 I guess). I don't really ship Maiko I guess? But I tried to write Lukanette here as them in a way where if this was their original roles I would ship it more.
> 
> Title from "Ours" by Taylor Swift.
> 
> [who's who, for reference:  
> Adrien - Aang  
> Rose - Katara  
> Nino - Sokka  
> Alya - Suki  
> Alix - Toph  
> Marinette - Zuko  
> Luka - Mai  
> Juleka - Ty Lee  
> Kagami - Azula]

Marinettte has everything she’s ever wanted. So why does she still feel so...dissatisfied? Choosing Kagami was a difficult choice to make. She’s a fugitive as Ladybug, an exile as Marinette — hurt and scarred and  _ sacred,  _ a firebender with not much left to lose.

Kagami has Luka and Juleka, at least, and it’s been far too long since she last saw Luka. Far too long, in fact. Neither of them are benders. But they’ve chosen to work with Kagami, and they’re good for it.

And she’s chosen them over Adrien and Nino and Alya. She wonders if she’s made the right choice, with her being  _ torn  _ apart, with the choice in the city that allowed them to conquer it once and for all.

But that doesn’t  _ matter.  _ That doesn’t matter. She’s Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, the Avatar is dead, and it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter anymore. They’re going to win the war.

(But is that what she wants?)

It doesn’t get any easier.

Luka is there, though. And then they go on vacation for a bit, back to Ember Island where their ghosts run rampant.

“Do you ever feel like despite the fact that you’ve gotten everything you’ve ever wanted, you still aren’t happy?” Marinette asks.

“What are you thinking?” Luka asks.

“I don’t know. Something isn’t right, and I don’t know what it is, but I think something’s wrong with me.”  _ I should want this,  _ she thinks,  _ I should be okay after she hurt me. But even though I’ve been...accepted, I still don’t feel like it. _

“I love you for every part of you, Marinette,” Luka answers. “No matter what you decide. No matter your choices on this matter. I’ll do my best to stand with you, however that ends.”

However that ends. She supposes it’s a good thing, however that ends. She doesn’t know what to think anymore.

And they try their best. They share too much, talk too much, and it doesn’t…

It’s okay. She still feels that turmoil bubbling within, still feels that dilemma waiting to come back around again.

And then the eclipse arrives. And among the preparations, knowing that whoever’s left of the Avatar’s team will arrive will come, Marinette knows where her mother will be. She has to confront her. She has to make her choice.

And this time, she knows that the choice she’s making here is right. Because she isn’t happy. She isn’t.

And maybe this will just bring her more strife. Or maybe it will bring her the happiness that she wants. The fulfillment of her destiny.

There’s only one reason to stay, and she writes that reason a letter and calls it a day. She hopes that Luka will forgive her, in the end. She hopes that he will find it in his heart to stand by her like he proclaimed he would. And she hopes that in the end they can reunite, with the hope that  _ Luka  _ will make the right choice too.

* * *

She messes up. She messes up big-time, but she knew they wouldn’t trust her immediately. This is just proof of such. Marinette is...far more prone to failure, unlike Kagami who tries (and succeeds) to be the epitome of perfection, and Luka who is perfect  _ for her. _

Marinette has never been perfect enough for anyone. She’s just herself, flaws and all.

And she continues to make mistakes, burning Alix’s way of sight in her blindness. But they forgive her. They accept her, because  _ Adrien  _ needs her. Adrien needs her because she’s a firebender, and she needs to let go.

And then, because she has let go, she can’t firebend. She can’t do the thing she offered, the thing she needs to do for them to accept her. If she can’t do that, then why should they accept her?

Going with Adrien to the Temple of the Sun Warriors is enlightening. To know that a pair of dragons lives on, to know that there  _ are  _ still people who know what firebending really is. It’s amazing, and their rainbow fire bathes her and Adrien in a light that she will remember forever.

And it’s  _ life.  _ It doesn’t destroy, it lives and breathes within them. Fire has a life of its own, and they are in control of that life. They keep it alive, or choose to snuff it out. That’s what it means.

And with that down…

Nino approaches her one night. “I know none of the rest want to, but where are important Fire Nation prisoners held?”

“...Why do you want to know?”

“My father. Leader of the Southern Water Tribe. He would be likely somewhere important.”

“The highest security prison in the Fire Nation is the Boiling Rock.” Marinette stares at him. “No one gets out if they don’t want anyone to get out.”

“We have balloons. We have methods of getting in that are stealthy. And I have a  _ plan.” _

“It’s surrounded by  _ boiling water,  _ Nino. It’s hard to get in and out of. It’s dangerous.”

“Oh,  _ come on!  _ You don’t want to know what goes on in the most maximum security prison?”

“No! Not if it will get me killed before I tutor Adrien on firebending.”

“We aren’t going to die. Trust me, Marinette.”

“Okay. I will.”

* * *

The prison break does not go exactly as planned. They pretend to be guards and they get out and they  _ almost  _ succeed, except she forgot that either Luka or Juleka’s biological father is a prison warden (the other is a dead musician). And so now Kagami and Juleka and Luka are here…

And Luka, in the last moment, turns on Kagami to let them escape. “Why?” Kagami asks — keeping the anger tamped down, more cold than angry.

“Because I love Marinette more than I fear you.”

And they have Nino’s father, and Alya, and both of them are alive. And that one firebender they agreed to break out along the way — Caline?

Either way, they’re out, and safe, and they can head back to the rest of their group.

Thanks to Luka. And she knows, she regrets...but she knows that this is right. That she is on the correct side of history. Adrien will defeat Fire Lord Tomoe, and everything might be okay someday.

The comet is imminent, and there’s only a matter of time.

For now, though, she hopes that Luka will be safe after betraying Kagami for her. Kagami will not take the betrayal lightly, and while she knows that Kagami has been manipulated by their mother, Marinette also knows that they’ll need to face her. And Marinette won’t be able to take her alone.

* * *

“Are you kidding?” Marinette asks, looking at the group. “You want to wait until  _ after?” _

“Tomoe and Kagami will be at their full power on the day of the Comet. We can't very well just…”

“We  _ need  _ to! They’ll take out all of the Earthbenders. THey already are. And what little we have left, what few allies that we have will be taken from us.”

“I understand your perspective,” Rose says, “but we just aren’t ready yet. Aang hasn’t mastered  _ any  _ of the elements, let alone three!”

“We have to do it.” Marinette will push for this.

“I agree,” Nino says, shocking her. “I think we should try, at least. This is all we have, it’s our last chance. We have to do this. I know it’s a lot of pressure on you, Adrien, but we can do this.”

“Okay,” Adrien says, shaky. “What’s the plan?”

* * *

The day has finally come. They’re at the Fire Nation capital.

“Okay, rundown of the plan — Rose and Marinette will face Kagami. Adrien will be facing Tomoe. Alya, Alix, and I will be working on taking down everyone that we can.”

The sky bleeds orange. The sneaking is easy, with everyone focusing on Kagami’s coronation.

Everyone flees when Marinette interrupts. “I’m sorry, Kagami, but you will not be Fire Lord today.”

“Then who will?” she snarls. Kagami looks...different. Angrier.

“I will.”

“You’re going to have to take it from me. You and me, my sister — the showdown that was always meant to happen. An Agni Kai.”

Marinette looks over at Rose. “I can do this.”

“You said you would need both of us earlier!”

“It’s fine,” Marinette answers. “Something’s...off. I think I can take her.” Kagami laughs.

And then the fire begins. Her orange contrasts with Kagami’s blue, both powered by the Comet. Bending feels...magnificent, here, bathing in the light of the comet. The orange-grey of the sky looks horrible, but she feels so much more powerful. And she focuses on Kagami, who keeps going more and more, burning herself out.

“No lightning today?” she asks Kagami. “Are you afraid?”

The electricity crackles at her fingertips...and Kagami directs the bolt at Rose.

“No!” Marinette says, jumping in front in time to redirect it.

The lightning goes through her, but she does manage to get some of it away. Neither of them are going to die.

“Thank you, Marinette,” Rose whispers, and then Kagami starts to go after her.

She doesn’t know the outcome of most of the rest until Rose heals her. But Kagami is defeated, and Adrien defeats Tomoe shortly after. Tomoe had her bending taken away, and Kagami…

Kagami has been thoroughly shattered after everything. Marinette will do her best to get the care that Kagami needs for her mental health, and perhaps someday they’ll be able to come together and forgive each other.

She introduces Rose and Juleka to each other. They hit it off fairly well.

Her coronation takes place a few days after everything is over. People there are all solemn, but supportive.

And...Luka.

“I’m so happy you’re alive,” she tells him.

“Me too. I heard that you got struck by lightning.”

“I have the scar. But I’m okay now.  _ We’re  _ okay now, right?”

“I was a little hurt when you left me behind, but...I think we’ll be okay.”

And they share a kiss. To Marinette, it feels like coming home.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me elsewhere if you want  
> main tumblr: alto-tenure  
> writing tumblr: beunforgotten  
> twitter: riverofliight


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